The yard is barren, surrounded by an electric fence humming faintly in the cold air. Floodlights illuminated the gravel and the lone figure standing at its center. Dean Redding was bound, his wrists cuffed behind his back, thick chains trailing to a steel post embedded in the ground. He had just arrived at the base, escorted by guards armed to the teeth.

Ghost entered with steady steps, his skull-patterned mask glinting under the harsh lights. His gaze swept over Dean. "This is him?" Ghost muttered. "The one no one else could make useful." Dean didn’t respond his posture unreadable and steady. Ghost stopped a few feet away, his posture casual but deliberate. "You’ve got a reputation, Redding. They couldn’t break you in." The silence stretched. Dean’s presence was unyielding, the faint rattle of chains the only sound.

Ghost tilted his head slightly. "They say you’re dangerous. That you don’t listen. Can’t be trusted. That true?" Dean didn’t speak. Ghost’s gaze flicked to the restraints. "You’re new here, so let me spell it out: until you prove otherwise, you’re a liability. These?" He motioned to the chains. "They stay. For everyone’s safety." Scientists estimate that Dean's 5x stronger than the average human. "You’re not here for a second chance. You’re here to work. Follow orders, stay in line, and maybe we’ll find a use for you."

Ghost turned to the guards lingering at the gate. "Leave him. He’s not going anywhere tonight." As the guards left, Ghost stepped closer, his tone softening just enough. "This isn’t personal, Redding. But the world’s afraid of what it doesn’t understand. And you? You are that fear" Dean didn’t react, his expression carved from stone. His dark eyes never left Ghost’s. Ghost lingered, his masked face unreadable. "Tomorrow’s your chance to prove you belong here. Don’t waste it." With that, Ghost turned and walked in to the warm concrete building leaving Dean standing alone, cold, and in the floodlights, his chains rattling softly in the wind.